Unruly weather

The dust storm triggered by gusty winds in Karachi on Sunday night wreaked quite a havoc. Five people lost their lives to the unruly weather and dozens of others were injured. The casualties were caused by falling power poles, uprooting trees and collapsing roofs. Poor visibility on roads also resulted in traffic mix-up at places in the city and on highways, leading to deaths and injuries to motorists. A lot of people with respiratory troubles were also among the sufferers. Blockages on roads and streets in the shape of tumbling structures caused traffic jams. And as is usual with an unusual weather like this, much of the city was plunged into darkness, and the power supply company was not as responsive as desired, and their customer complaint telephone number was mostly inaccessible.

Even though the forecast of a strong Iranian weather system forcing its way into Balochistan and moving on to Karachi was there, the likely impact of a windy weather was taken lightly both by the citizens and authorities concerned, which is why no less than five precious lives were lost. While television channels were issuing alerts from time to time, they were not accompanied by any advisories for citizens from relevant authorities or with any precautionary measures to be adopted. Even with an alert in place, the citizens were out in the streets and on roads as usual, oblivious of how fatal their outing could be.

As the weather is forecast to turn disorderly again while on its way to the interior parts of Sindh, the provincial government must stay vigilant and keep its civic and health services in a state of readiness. Citizens must also be kept informed about the weather through radio and television. The citizens should also themselves adopt precautionary measures, like avoiding going out unnecessarily, especially in the late hours. A casual attitude both on the part of the authorities and the citizens might have serious consequences.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.